


Half of my Heart is Missing

by AlexaNDYE



Series: Pepperony Week 7-10-2016 to 7-16-2016 [4]
Category: Iron Man (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-15
Updated: 2016-07-15
Packaged: 2018-07-24 03:54:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7492809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlexaNDYE/pseuds/AlexaNDYE
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For Post-Captain American Civil War, I wanted to imagine that Pepper was there to comfort Tony when he felt like he lost everything: his girlfriend, The Avengers, and his parents. I didn't like it that Pepper's absence was written off as a break-up without an explanation.  I like to imagine that they split for mutual reasons, mainly due to stress or things just not working out, but their split doesn't mean they don't love each other. I feel like they'd be there for each other, even if their relationship didn't work out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Half of my Heart is Missing

Tony nursed a glass of scotch in his left hand and leaned back into the leather chair. It was the day after getting Steve’s package, and helping Rhodey with his bionic legs and physical therapy. To put it short, he was exhausted, and his morale was depleted. He wanted to slam his fists into the wall, throw the glass across the room and let it shatter, yell at the top of his lungs, and shed the tears he’s been holding back.

He was so lost in his own dark thoughts, he didn’t hear the familiar clicking of heels that made their way across the living room.

He flinched when he felt her hand on his shoulder. He didn’t have to turn around to know who it was.

“Why are you here?” he asked coldly and roughly. He didn’t mean to and he wanted to apologize.

“I was worried about you,” Pepper replied. “I saw everything on the news and I wanted to know if you were okay.”

“You could’ve called.”

Pepper smirked. “You and I both know a call isn’t going to do anything.” She rounded the couch and sat down next to him. It was the first time in over a week he’s seen her, and dear god, he missed her. When his eyes fell on hers, he thought he had lost the ability to breathe. She looked gorgeous, even in her casual gray sweatshirt and black jeans.

He swallowed down his feelings and the unforgettable pang in his heart by taking a sip of scotch. “It would’ve been easier though.”

Pepper stared at him and watched him carefully. He was still hurting from their break-up. She could tell, because she was still hurting, too. It was a mutual decision, despite everyone else’s assumptions. “For who?” she asked. “You, or me?”

His eyes shifted to her. “Both of us.”

“I wanted to make sure you were okay, Tony.”

“Oh yeah, I’m okay,” he replied sarcastically, with a hint of anger. “I broke it off with the one person I love. Why? Because of me.” He paused. “The Avengers are split apart and some of them hate me. Why? Because of me. Everything is falling apart, because of me, and I—“ Tears were beginning to form at the corner of his eyes. “I…” He couldn’t finish his sentence. Everything was falling apart because of him. His parents’ deaths were killing him, he was mourning his broken relationship with Pepper, and he was having mixed feelings about the split between the Avengers. It felt like he was being destroyed from the inside out.

Pepper watched a stray tear fall along his cheek, and she went along with her instincts. He leaned towards her and she leaned in as well. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and held his head against her chest. He grit his teeth and tried to bottle up his feelings, but he couldn’t, especially in front of Pepper. He was so used to pouring his heart and soul out to her; it almost felt like they had fallen back into the same routine.

She was always there for him, listening, and trying to give him advice, and he loved her for that. He never stopped loving her, even after they split apart.

He spent a better part of the night talking to her about what happened, how it made him feel, and how jumbled up his feelings were. She whispered comforting words, asking him questions about his decisions, and if he would made different ones, given the chance.

She opened up his mind, and allowed him to see a different perspective. It’s why he always talked to her.

After an hour of talking, there was a quiet pause. It wasn’t uncomfortable. It let them both wander in their own thoughts and bask in each other’s presence.

After a minute or so, Tony was the first to speak up.

“I miss you.”

Pepper’s lips slowly formed a smile. “I’ve missed you, too.”

“I’m sorry—”

“You’ve already apologized enough.”

“—for all the mistakes I’ve made, and all of my terrible decisions.”

“Tony,” Pepper replied sternly. “Stop.”

“It’s my fault that we broke up.”

“It’s not your fault. We just needed some time apart.”

“How long is ‘some time’?”

Pepper tilted her head to the side in thought. “I’m not sure, but we’ll know when the time comes.” Tony frowned, because there was no maximum or minimum time limit. It was left open, and that scared him. Anything without conclusive detail scared him.

“Thank you,” he said. She didn’t need to ask why he was thanking her, because she knew he felt like he owed her for listening to his rants and comforting him.

“You don’t need to thank me, Tony.” She squeezed him. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”

He held onto her and buried his head in her chest. He didn’t want to let her go, because it felt like she was the last standing leg of his sanity. She understood him better than anyone, maybe better than Rhodey, and she’s seen sides him of that not even Rhodey has seen. It’s why he loved her so much. She always read him like a book. She stood her ground whenever it got tough and not once thought to budge. She was stubborn, but for all the right reasons.

Pepper Potts.

He knew he was lucky to have her.


End file.
